Ring-spinning frame



. 6 1,629,366 May 17 1927. E. STUBBS RING .S'FINNING FRAME Filed F155. 2. 1922 5 Sheets-sheaf 1 so i Z v V 5 Tigk E. STUBBS RING SPINNING FRAME Filed Feb. 2, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 YA FCKQ E. STUBBS RING SPINNING FRAME May 17, 1927. 1,629,366

Filed Feb. 2, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet' 5 May 17 1927.

E. STUBBS RING SPINNING FRAME 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Feb. 2, 1922 M glw m 11. 1927. E TUBBs 1,629,366

RING SPINNING FRAME Filed Feb- 2, 1922' J 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 \xwuw 6% Eva 6x6. Smiths Patented May 17, 1927.

UNITED" STATES EVERARD STUIBBS, OF S PRIN GFIELD, VERMONT.

mne-sfinnine FRAME- Application filed February .The present invention relates to spinning machines of the type in which the yarn being spun passes to the rotating spindle through a traveler which runs on a ringsurrounding the spindle, such machines being commonly termed ring spinning frames. It is adapted for machines of this type running at any of the speeds known to bepracticable, and the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification has been particularly designed with reference to machines for spinning the finest yarns in which the spindles are run at the highest speeds, up to ten thousand revolutions per minute, or more.

The objects of the invention are let to provide a spinning frame which is much more compact than those heretofore employed to produce the same amount of yarn, whereby a substantial saving of space in the spinning mill may be effected; 2d, to provide a gear drive forthe spindles capable of running without objectionable noise or vibration at the highest spinning speeds, thereby avoiding the troubles incident to machines wherein the spindles are driven by bands or tapes, such troubles including variation of spindle speed, Wear and stretching of tapes, etc; 3d, to simplify the construction and re duce the weight of the machine in proportion to its output capacity and'to enable it to be assembled and disassembled, with suf ticient accuracy and correct aligning of those parts which have to be aligned, more easily and quickly than is possible with machines heretofore produced; lth, to provide a new and simple mode of mounting the spindles with means for adjusting individual spindles to center them; 5th, to protect the builder motion of the machine from dirt and lint and render the adjustable parts of such mechanism more convenient to the operator; and 6th, to arrange drawing rolls in associ-' ation with the machine in such arrangement and location that one collection of rolls is adapted to furnish material to two spindles or sets of spindles and that the rolls'may be readily reached for cleaning. 7

These and subsi'liary objects are accomplished in the spinning machine or frame described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings; I and the invention consists in the means here'- in shown and described for accomplishing such results, and all equivalents thereof, as

2, 1922. Serial N0.533,507.

set forth in the appended claims with ref erence to the specification. r

In the drawings z Fi ure 1 is an elevation, with parts broken.

away and shown in section, of one'end of a spinning frame embodying the invention.

l igures 2 and 3 are vertical sectional views taken on the lines 2-2 and 33, respectively,- of Figure 1. i v v Figure 4 is a fragmentary View in longitudinal section of the machine illustrating particularly an intermediate supporting member of the frame and the means for respectively' drivingthe spindles and moving the ring railandseparators. The plane of section on which this figure is taken is indicated by the line 44 in Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a cross section of the machine taken on line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5. t

Figure 7 is a cross section of he entire machine taken on line*77 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional View on an'enlarged scale of one of the spindles taken on line 8 8 of Figure 7-.

Figure 9 is a horizontal cross section taken on line- 9-9 of Figure 8.

Figures 10 and 11 are horizontal sections taken on lines 10-'1O and 1111, respectively, of Figure 1. g

The view points from which the sectional views are seen are indicated-by the arrows adjacent to the several specified lines of section. 7

Like reference characters designate the same and duplicate parts wherever they occur in all the figures.

The frame of this machine is constructed to support two rows or sets of spindles, and the spindles are driven by gear wheels, which makes it possible to place the different rows of spindles close together, and likewise to arrange the sets of cooperating'rings close together, whereby a single lifter'mechanism is applicable for raising and lowering the ring rails to build up the accumulation of yarn on the spindlebobbins', and a single set of drawing rolls may be arranged to deliver yarnto the spindles of both sets.

Thebase of the machine is a framework constructed of a head end casting 12, a foot end casting (not shown but which may be likethe casting 12), intermediate castings 13 of which the number may be varied according to the length of anyparticular machine, legs 14; supporting the intermediate castings, and longitudinal members 15, 15. The latter are preferably rolled steel bars of channel section. The parts herein designated as castings are preferably so made because their more or less complicated forms can be made most cheaply by founding, but equivalent members may, if desired, be otherwise constructed, and the term casting, as herein used, is intended to include all structural equivalents of such parts.v Provision is made for adjusting the legs 1a in respect to he intermediate castings 13 in order that the latter may be raised or lowered to place them in proper alinement with each other and with the end castings, and to support themfirmly on an uneven floor. Such legs are connected to the opposite outer edges of the associated casting by means of bolts 16 passing through slots 17 in the legs, and a screw 18 threaded into the under side of the casting bears on a bracket 19 secured to the leg. Thus evident ly a very accurate vertical adjustment of the intermediate casting may be made while the frame of the machine is being set up. These Ell legs also may be made out of rolled steel channel bars.

An important feature of the invention consists in the fact that the longitudinal mem hers or bars serve to locate or ahne the intermediate castings. These 7 bars are secured at their ends to the head and foot castings and they are adapted to extend over the upper edges of the intermediate castings; The latter have notches 20 (Figures 5 and 8) to receive the inner flanges 21 of the channel bars 15, and one side of each notch 20 provides a shoulder 22 which is designed to bear against the outer surface of the flange which occupies it. Thedistance between the shoulders which thus bear against two bar-s15, re-

spectively, is equal to the distance from the inner side of one bar to the nearer side of the other, wherefore when the castings are as sembled with the bars 15 as thus indicated they are necessarily placed in correct lateral alinement. Vertical adjustment of-the.castings on the legs 14 to bring their upper sides intocontact with the under sides of the bars, and to bring the bars level, determines the correct vertical alinement of the castings. Attachment of these castings and bars is made by screws 23, as shown in Figure 5.

The intermediate castings have notches 24 in their opposite side edges opening into recesses 25 adapted to receive ball bearings 26 which support the spindle driving shafts 27. These recesses in the several castings are related to the shoulders 22 that when the castings are thus assembled with the side bars and placed at the proper elevation by adjustment of the legs 14:, all the bearings for the said drive shafts are correctly alined throughout the whole length of the machine.

The notches 24: are larger than the shafts 27, whereby the shafts may be passed laterally through them; and the bearings are preferably of the well known self-contained type adaptedto be slipped enclwise upon and along the shafts. The preferred type of bearing is indicated in Figure 4, and is shown ona largerscale and in another relation in Figure'8. It consists of an inner ring-shaped race28 having an encircling groove in its outer surface, a surrounding ring-shaped outer race 29 having a groove in its inner surface, and an interposed series of balls 30' occupying both grooves. When the outer race is sprung over the balls, the entire bearing becomes aunit and can be applied and shifted as such without falling apart. Thus it is possible to mount and dismount the shafts without removing the gears carried thereby, by placing the bearings on the shafts at one side of the castings, passing the shafts through the notches of the castings and then slipping the bearings along the shafts into the recesses 25.

An upright sliding rod 34 is arranged in the open central part 31 of each casting 13. Said rod slides in a guideway 32 in a bracket 48 (later described) and in a lower guideway provided in a partof the casting formed by a lug or bracket 35 separated from the adjacentpart of the casting by anopening 36 large enough to receive a shaft 37 carrying a connected pair of spur gears 38 and 39. A web 40, formed as part of the casting, is offset to one side of the recess 36 and is formed inits upper part with a bearing cavity ll to receive and support the shaft 37, such web being so formed and arranged that the shaft may be placed in said bearing and removed from it through the open space previously described and without need of removing or displacing the connected gears 38 and 39.

The rod 3% is provided in its lower part, on one side, with a series of rack teeth 42 meshing with the gear 39, whereby said rod may be raised and lowered by oscillation of the shaft 37. This rod and the rods like it mounted similarly in other castings of the frame carry on their upper ends brackets 43 holding rods 14C to which are attached separator blades 45 arranged in the spaces between adjacent spindles for the purpose of preventing interference between the yarns being spun on adjacent spindles, in accordance with common practice in this art.

Other guideways are provided in the castings beside those previously described to receive upright sliding rack bars -46 having teeth 47 (Figures 1 and '7 which mesh with the gears 38. The rack bars or rods 46 support brackets 4-8 on which the ring rails 50 are mounted- Such ringv rails are preferably rolled steel channel bars similar to the frame members 15, and, like the latter.

ill)

they are alined with the several brackets 48 of the machine by their inner flanges 51 .entering notches 02 in the brackets and bear ing against the shoulders 53 which bound said notches. Openings are formed at'suitable intervals in the ring rails 50 and in or over these openings are set the spinning rings 5a which may be of usual or any other suitable form and made fast in any suitable way. The spindles 55 are mounted upon the frame members 15 in alinement withthe axes of the spinning rings; adjacentspin dles and rings having the proper spacing from one another for spinning thesizes of yarn for which any particular machine is designed.

The preferred mount for the spindle is shown in detail in Figure 8 and consists of a tubular socket or bushing 56 which is passed through a hole in thebar 15 and is held by a nut 57. The upper end of the socket 56 has a shoulder which rests on the member 15 and contains a ball bearing 58, preferably of the type previously described in detail, through which the spindle blade passes and by which its position is determined. A bracket 59, either made as a part of the nut 57 or secured by it, hangs down below the socket and supports an arm 60 which carries a ball bearing 61 for the foot of the spindle blade. The arm 60 is separate from the bracket 59 and is clamped thereto by a screw 62 which passes through a hole 63 larger than itself in the arm. Thus the lower ball bearing may be shifted horizon tally in any direction far enough to center the spindle blade accurately, by placing its upper end exactly in the center of. the contiguous ring.

On the spindle between the ballbearings is arranged a pinion 64 in mesh with a driving gear 65 on the shaft 27. Preferably the pinion is integral with the spindle blade, but it may be made of a separate piece and attached to the blade. Each spindle in the entire machine is equipped with such a pinion and the two shafts 27 carry driving gears properly spaced and mounted to mesh severally with each of the spindle pinions. These gears are secured on their respective shafts by set screws 66, as shown in Figure 4, and may be adjusted to bring them into correct mesh with the pinions.-

- The elimination of tapes or drivingthe spindles, permitted by substitution of the'gearing last described, makes possible the compact construction of the machine; and the gearing employed'forthis purpose in high speed spinning frames, where the speed of the spindles may be as highas ten thousand revolutions per minute or even higher, preferably has the following characteristics. The spindles are out of line with their respective driving shafts, or, in other words, are non-radial to the shaft and bands for gears by which, respectively, "they are driven. This is clearly shown in Figures 7' and 8, where the axis of each spindle there represented is shown as outside of the vertical axial plane ofits associated shaft. Further, the. teeth of the pinions are helically arranged and-the driving gears are crown gears having skew teeth which are fashioned accurately conjugate to the: helical pinion teethso as to mesh with the latter without greater backlash than is required by thebestg'earing practice Thusthe gears run quietly and without objectionable vibration even at theexceedingly high spindle speeds required for spinning the finest yarns. For

thepurposes of this description, the crown gear thus formed to mesh with the helical pinion whose axis does not intersect that of the crown gear, may be called a skew helical crown gear. This gearing embodies the.

principles and characteristics of the gearing disclosed by the patent of Edwin E. Fellows and myself No. 1,461,230, July 10, 1923.

Lubrication of the gearing and spindles is obtained by oil confinedin closed compartments between the castings ortransverse members of the frames. Referring v.to Figures 4 and7, oil pans 67 aresupported underneath the driving gears by shoulders or ledges 68 on the sides of the transverse castings. Fixed splash covers 69 are secured to the frame members 15 byv the nuts 57 which hold-the spindles fast (such covers havingholes through which the spindle sockets pass and which are closed by washers 70, as shown in Figure 8). Removable side covers 71 overlie the vertical spaces between the splash pans and the fixed covers. These side covers are preferably of sheet metal, the lower edges of which are folded to form a lug 72 which rests on the edge of the pan and the upper edges of which are adapted to slide beneath the outer flange of the adjacent" great enough for the under sides ofthe driv ing gears to dip int'o it. The rotationof these gears churns'theoil into a spray or mist which-fills the enclosed chambers and passes into the ball bearings 61 and 58, thus lubricating said bearings aswell as the contacting gear teeth. Efficient lubrication is aifordedby the oily mist-so produced.

The head casting 12;; and likewise the foot casting, is provided with a .bearing'i'd, similar to the bearings 40 of the intermediate castings, in which the shaft 37 is supported, 7

with. other bearings through which the shafts 27 pass, with. lugs ;?1110i'76-PI0Vld7 ing gnid'ewaysfon duplicatesof the rods34. and 46 previously described, and with a.

ledge 77 supporting the adjacent oil pan. 67. On the outer side of the head casting are gear casings 78, 79 and 80 and such other brackets and supporting means as may be necessary to mount and enclose the pulleys by whichthe shaft 37 is oscillated.- so as to dent from the drawings. 7 ing surface of the cam .93 passes the trundle raise and lower the ring rails'and. the separator blades, is constructed; and, operated in the following manner, reference being directed to. Figures 1, 2, 3 and 1:1. 86. is wrapped around and: secured tov a sprocket disk 87 on the shaft 37. and passes around a guide roll 88 to a connection with a pin 89 on a lever 90. which oscillates-upon. Said lever carries a.

a tixed pivot pin 91. roll 92 bearing against the edge of. a cam.93 which is fast tov a shaft 94, on which also a worm wheel 95 is made fast. Said lever. is constantly held. against the cam 93 by a weight 96suspendedby a cord 97qwliichis wrapped. aro-undand made fasttoa pulley 98 on the shaft 37-. Meshing with the worm wheel is a worm 99 on a shaft 100 which receives motion through bevel'gears 101-, 102.,

spur gears 103, 104', bevel gears 1.05, .106, and spur gears. 107, 108, 109and110afrom the shaft 83. The gear 110zis fast on shaft 83;- gears'108 and 109 are connected together; and so are gears 107 and 106, 105 and 104, and 103 and 102, as is clearly evi- While the recedroll of theoscillating lever 90 it permits. the weight 96 to rotate the shaft 37 inxthedirection which-will raise the rods 46 and 34 by. means of the gears 38 and 39, respectively, while the advancing. surface of the cam causes the shaft 37 to be rotated in the. op posite direction-through the lever 90, chain 86 and sprocket 87-, whereby the rods are lowered. This up anddown motion'of the rods 46 raises and lowers thespinning rings and so causes the yarn'being' spun 'to be wound evenly on the spindle bobbins. The gears 39, being smaller thanthe gears 38-, cause the separator blades totravel in the same direction but in a shorter path than the spinning rings, whereby these blades are always approximately midway between the rings and the eyes through which the yarn passesto the rings, the condition. which best safeguards the yarns passing to adjacent spindles from interfering with each other.

Shaft 37, gears 38 and 39, and the upright A, chain rods 46 and? 34 constitute the lifting mechanism, operated by the builder motion, for

moving. the ring rails and separator bladesis such that the connection 89 is movedgradually toward the pivotof the lever, whereby successive traverses of the ring rails are made shorter and shorter. The accumulation of yarn on the spindles is thus built up with tapered ends.

The facts that a-single lifting mechanism. operated. by the builder motion is provided.

for controlling both sets of spindles, that the oscillating lever of. the'builder motion is in any upright position, and that the entire builder motion is enclosed in a gear case are fea-- tures novel to this lnvention-for which I- claim protection. The encasement of the builder motion protects itfrom accumulation of: lint anddirt; theupright; arrange ment of the oscillating lever gives' the attendant more convenientv access tow the ratchet gearing, and the operation of; both sets of ring rails. by one lifting mechanism eliminates the lever mechanisms heretofore generally used: for lifting ring rails, thus conducingto the object of simplicity and economy in construction. I 7

Over the base frame, there is mounted a framework. carrying drawing rolls and supply bobbins or cops of yarn or roving to be spun. This framework comprises a base plate 114, uprights 1115' having brackets 116,

longitudinal bars 117 and: longitudinal rods 118. Posts, 119 mounted on the members of the lower frame support'the upper framework. The bars 117 hold the bobbins or spools 120 of yarnor rovingprepared for spinning and the rods 118 are guides over which the yarns pass. from the bobbins to the drawing rolls. The gear driven drawing rolls 121, 122-and 123, of'progressively increasingdiameter, are mounted on shafts, which rest in bearings on the. sides of the uprights 15, andrun .in conjunction, respectively, with the complemental rolls 124, 125 and. 126, which latter are mounted in sub frames 127 attached .to,1the:base -plate 114 and uprights 115. Said rolls, cooperating as-described, constitute what I call for the purposes of this specification a' set of drawing rolls; Generically, a s-edof rolls comprises anyv number of pairs of'rollsan rariged to draw yarn; There is one suclr setof drawing rolls for each pair of'spindles; and for present purposes the term pair of spindles isintended toinclude two spindles arranged in any transverse plane of the machine as represented in Figure 7;

The corresponding gear driven rolls of the several sets cooperating with the several pairs of spindles aremounted on thesame shafts anddriven, in unison. The gez-i'r-train for driving them is shown in Figures 1 and 3,. Thegear 1 07 drives'the pinion 128 on the shaft 130 of the rolls 1 23, and this shaft carries a pinion 131 driving a gear 132, to which is connected a pinion 133 in mesh with a gear 134 on the shaft 135 of the rolls 121; and a pinion136 on the latter shaft drives a pinion 137 on the shaft 138 of the roll 122 through an idler gear 189.

Yarns passing from the drawing rolls are I led to eyes in thread boards 140 hinged to opposite edges of the base plate 114, one of.

machine and supplies yarn to both sets or' series of spindles.

The narrow width of the machine makes the'result just described possible, and also makes it possible to arrange the drawing rolls in vertical series, whereby the gear driven rolls are placed beside the complemental rolls instead of under the latter as in the prior practice, making it easily possible to clean the gear driven rolls. These rolls are encased by guard plates 141 which protect them from dirt and may be moved aside when necessary to get at the rolls for cleaning them.

I have indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 means for supportmg or steadying the 'frames constructed as thus described. Ow-

ing to their relatively great height and narrow Width, such frames, are not very stably supported on their own bases and for giving them additional support I mount an upright rod or tube 142 in lugs 143 projecting from the side of some part of'the frame, preferably the gear c-a-sing on the headframe casting, and connect such upright bar, with an overhead transverse bar 144. A row of spinning frames may thus be connected so as amply to support one another, and the cross rod may be fastened to some part of the mill building.

It will now be appreciated that the characteristics thus described and illustrated accomplish the objects recited in the introductory part of this specification. of this invention an equal number of spindles may be mounted in a frame having ap- By the use proximately one-third the width of the spinning frames heretofore. commonly used; whereby a greater number of frames may bemounted in a givenmill, or a mill to provide for a given number of spindles maybe built smaller than is. required by former practies. The smaller transverse dimension and more compact construction of the frame results in simplicity and lower cost of construction, as well because the structural elements of the frameco'ntain less material, as because the ability'to use one lifti-ng nechani'sm for two sets of rings and separators, and one series of drawing rolls for twosories of spindles, eliminates a great number. of duplicateparts heretofore necessary.

Setting up'ofthe machine with substantially perfect alinement is made easy by reason of the longitudinal frame members of rolled structural steel, and the alining shoulders complemental thereto ofthe frame castings and the ring rail brackets. The distances and positions of the bearing centers with respect to these alining shoulders in the several shaft supporting; members or castings 18 can be accurately duplicated, so that assembling of these members with the longitudinal bars alines the shaft bearings without the use of loose brackets or other adjustable parts. Irregularities in the floor are taken care of by adjustment of the legs 14, and the same adjustment brings correspondin g points of all the members 13 to, the same height. I

T The employment of toothed gearing for driving the spindles ensures uniformity of rotational speed of all the spindles and eliminates the troubles incidental to the use of bands and tapes, of stretching, wearing out or breaking, and stopping of the machine to take up stretch or to replace worn out or broken bands, besides enabling the space formerly required for theband driving drums and-the guide or take-up rolls. to be economically utilized for additional spindles: 1

The provision of an accessible readily adjust'able lower bearing for the spindle makes it possible to adjust and center the spindle accurately. i i

Finally the new arrangement of the builder motion and drawing rolls permits these parts tobe covered and, protected and to be easily reached for cleaning and adjusting. As to the builder motion particularly,'the

upright arrangement of the lever enables than twice the diameter of the gears, two

series of spinning rings cooperating with the several spindles, a single rigid structure supporting both series of rings and mechanism operatively connected to raise and lower said structure and both series of said rings as a unit.

2. A ring spinning frame comprising two substantially parallel rows of, spindles, a drlving shaft for each row of spindles, 1n-

termeshing gears on said shafts and pinions on said spindles, ring rails and spinning rings cooperating with said spindles in the spinning of "arn, and means for raising and lowering said ring rails arranged between the vertical planes in which the saidshafts are located.

3. A ring spinning frame comprising a supporting structure, spindles arranged in two substantially parallel rows on said structure, two substantially parallel shafts each beneath one of the rows of spindles, driving gears on each shaft for the spindles of the row above the shaft, a driven pinion connected to each spindle and each pinion being in mesh with one of said driving gears, said rows of spindles and shafts being latcrally separated from each other by a distance less than twice the diameter of the gears, spinning rings eomplemental to the ing gears on each shaft for the spindles of the row above the shaft, a driven pinion connected to each spindle and each pinion being in mesh with one of said driving gears, said rows of spindles and shafts being laterally separated from each other by a distance less than twice the diameter of the gears, spinning rings complemental to the several spindles, rail-s on which said rings are mounted, brackets supporting said rails, upright bars supporting said brackets and extending between said shafts, said bars hav-- and separators, gears on said shaft meshing with the rack bars of the ring rails and the rack bars of the separators, respectively, and means for causing and controlling rota tion of said shaft alternately in opposite directions.

6. In a spinning frame the combination with spindles, a ring rail and spinning rings cooperative with said spindles, and separators, of rack bars connected with the ring rail and separators, respectively, a, single shaft for raising and lowering said ring rail and se aarators ears on said shaft meshin 7 b o with the rack bars of the ring rail'1and the rack bars of the separators, respectively, and means for causing and controlling rotation of said shaft alternately in opposite directions, the gears so cooperatingwith the rack bars of the separator being smaller than those which operate the ring rail, whereby the separators are given a slower motion in I ashorter path than the ring rail.

7. In a splnning frame having spindles,

a complemental ring rail and a series of separators, a single shaft for operating the ring rail and separator-s, means for rotatlng said shaft'alternately in opposite directions, gears on' said shaft, and racks operatively meshing with said gears and connected with the ring rail and with the separator carriers respectively for causing reciprocative movement thereof.

Iii-testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. 7

' EYERARD STUBBS. 

